Trenton, New Jersey (CNN) - Chris Christie's signature tough-talking style earned him plaudits from the press and politicos alike from the moment he emerged on the national stage as a candidate for New Jersey governor in 2009.

It quickly catapulted him into a wider arena, the kind of place most politicians can only dream of: Whispers started coming soon after his election that he could star on a presidential ticket for the Republican Party. He seemed authentic. The real deal.

Arlington, Virginia (CNN) - President Barack Obama sidestepped talking about his signature achievement, health care reform, and instead focused on the politics of the government shutdown in a campaign rally to help Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe get over the finish line in Tuesday's governor's race.

McAuliffe, a best friend of the Clinton family, has been ahead of Republican Ken Cuccinelli, even if marginally, in every poll of the race taken since mid-July. A victory here Tuesday night could provide some cover to the Obama administration, which has been under fire for a month for the botched roll-out of the Affordable Care Act's sign-up website for the insurance exchange system October 1.

Washington (CNN) - Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts Tuesday took her crusade for income equality in the United States to the 100th annual convention of the Mortgage Bankers Association.

In remarks at the Washington Convention Center, Warren admonished the rapid growth of sub-prime mortgages as the underlying cause of the housing crisis that has dragged on for the last several years while defending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed housing finance giants that required a massive bailout in 2008 when their housing investments soured.FULL POST

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is starting to look a lot like someone who is picking up the pace of a presidential campaign - complete with the perks and the challenges that come with it.

On Wednesday, she spoke to the University of Buffalo. Thursday, she returned to Washington for her place in the lineup of high-profile public figures at a conference the Center for American Progress was hosting. Friday night she did Colgate University's "distinguished speakers" series in upstate New York.

Washington (CNN) - A growing chorus of high-profile tea party leaders is threatening Republican lawmakers: Defund Obamacare or get a primary challenge.

Three conservative Republican senators, a handful of House members and even more tea party activists took to a stage on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building Tuesday afternoon to protest the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. But their call to action–and their anger–was directed more at the Republican leadership in the House than at President Obama.FULL POST

(CNN) - As Republicans retool their own 50-state strategy, a southern Democrat is on a mission to make his party competitive in the Deep South again, too.

Former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove is launching a new political action committee today called the Southern Progress Fund that seeks to build a farm team of Democratic candidates. The organization will focus on statewide legislative and down-ballot races, which Musgrove argues are typically overlooked for bigger races, like senatorial and gubernatorial elections.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Just as support starts piling up for a second Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, the opposition forces are marshaling their resources to keep up.

Pro-Republican Super PAC America Rising is launching a fundraising effort today as their answer to the growing tide of support for Clinton. The PAC has a brand new site, StopHillary2016.org, a one-stop shop for Clinton haters.FULL POST